About IACC

What is the IACC?International Association of Color Consultants/Designers

Thanks to the IACC for providing this information about the organization.

The IACC was founded in Hilversum, Holland in 1957, with the participation of approximately 50 architects, interior architects, designers, scientists and artists from 12 countries.

The motivating force was an acute shortage of professional color consultants/designers, and an absence of possibilities for competent training in the field. In 1958, the IACC interdisciplinary education/accreditation program was established under the direction of its first IACC President, Dr. Heinrich Frieling, the renowned color authority, psychologist, biologist, and philosopher. This education/accreditation program has been held in Salzburg, Austria since 1958 under the name “Salzburg Seminars for Colour and Environment.”

In 1991 the IACC established its education/accreditation program in the United States in San Diego, California under the title: IACC Seminars for Color and Environment. In 2000, an Asian branch of the IACC was founded in Japan by the author, international lecturer, and second President of the IACC, Frank H. Mahnke, also founder of the American Information Center for Color and Environment. The Asian program is known as the IACC School for Colour and Interior Design in Nagoya City, Japan. Graduates from the San Diego courses established the North American chapter of the IACC (IACCNA) in 1994.

The IACC is also instrumental in giving guidelines to various universities internationally in how to construct their core curriculum in the education of color.

The educational program of the IACC is important in two significant areas: as a prerequisite for a competent command of the laws of color, including human reaction to the architectural environment, and as a program that also aims toward the shaping of color professionals who possess comprehensive capabilities in all areas of knowledge necessary to create beneficial and purposeful environments and that satisfy and give guidance to the design goals of the client.

The IACC education is unique for providing an interdisciplinary approach to design and color education—including, for example, scientific findings on visual ergonomics, psychosomatics, neuropsychological and psycho-physiology, as they relate to the design of the architectural environment. Such material is not presented in traditional architecture or interior design programs. This interdisciplinary approach is just one of the strengths of the IACC and the IACC accredited color consultant/designer.

Individuals are internationally accredited by the IACC upon fulfilment of all course requirements, the presentation of design assignments, an examination and a thesis. Upon successful completion the individual is then designated as: IACC qualified Color Consultant/Designer. Thereby the IACC has set the guidelines, criteria and accreditation for the profession of (IACC) Color Consultant/Designer.

My goal was to take two very sparsely detailed and vanilla colored spaces and with a new coat of paint create an office suite that was more fitting for my architectural practice.

Your help and guidance in selecting the right palette of colors was invaluable. Your insight into where we should apply the various paint colors to create interest and detail was right on.

Clients and other visitors to the office are always impressed to see the space, are quick to comment on their appreciation of the paint scheme, and are always amazed by how much paint color can transform a space. Thanks again for your significant contribution towards the office makeover.